Diabetes risk from sitting around: 30 mins exercise a day may not be a counter

Sampe: over 500 men and women of the age of 40. Women who spent the longest time sitting had higher levels of insulin, as well as higher amounts of C-reactive protein and chemicals released by fatty tissue in the abdomen, leptin, and interleukin6, and which indicate problematic inflammation

The study provides important new evidence that higher levels of sitting time have a deleterious impact on insulin resistance and chronic low-grade inflammation in women but not men and that this effect is seen regardless of how much exercise is undertaken. This suggests that women who meet the national recommendations of 30 minutes of exercise a day may still be compromising their health if they are seated for the rest of the day"

This is yet another piece of research that points to the importance of having an active lifestyle, and creates a responsibility for urban design professionals to create the environment where an active lifestyle is an easy choice.